Finnish production company, Gutsy Animations, has hired consumer PR agency specialising in
culture and entertainment brands, Riot Communications, to promote its innovative MOOMIN
television production.
The new animation series, MOOMIN, will bring author Tove Jansson’s stories to life using a
cutting-edge 2D/3D hybrid technique, where characters are rendered in a 3D environment with
some 2D illustrative hand drawn elements. Produced by an incredibly talented team, whose aim
is to stay faithful to the original Moomin stories encompassing all the values of Moomintroll and
friends, includes creative director and executive producer Marika Makaroff; Oscar-winning
director Steve Box; BAFTA-winning producer John Woolley and Emmy-winning writing duo Mark
Huckerby and Nick Ostler. The animation will bring Moomintroll and friends to a new generation
and to our screens in a way never seen before.
Riot Communications was the first ever PR agency to be engaged by Moomin Characters and has
worked closely with the brand to help create sell-out events at the Southbank Centre, London,
and co-ordinate communications for all activity taking place in the UK, from new publishing to
festivals and exhibitions. On the strength of recommendation for its work with Moomin
Characters, and its passion for the brand, Riot Communications was appointed to promote the
new animation without a competitive pitch process.
Marika Makaroff, the CEO and co-founder at Gutsy Animations, said, “We are really excited to be
working with Riot Communications to bring Tove’s work to family audiences across the world.
Our award-winning team is creating a production that will be as unique and magical as the brand,
and we are thrilled to embark on this journey with an agency that shares our love and passion for
Moomin.”
Adele Minchin, Associate Director of Riot Communications, said, “Working with Gutsy Animations
to bring global recognition to a new television production that retells Tove’s tales of love,
tolerance, family, and adventure is an enormous treat. The series will appeal as much to art and
design fans as it will to nostalgic adults and children discovering Moomin for the first time. We
are thrilled to be a part of the team.”
In April of this year, Riot Communications helped launch Gutsy Animations’ crowdfunding
campaign to raise funds to contribute to the visual development of two series of 13 22-minute-long episodes, the first of which will air in spring 2019. Fans were invited to be part of the process
to help make this new animation a reality by pledging a certain amount of money in return for
specific ‘perks’. The ‘perks’ on offer ranged from all-inclusive trips to Finland to minor voice roles
in the new television series. Riot Communications played a crucial role in the campaign that
surpassed the initial target of $200,000 and earned a substantial total of $253,230. The
production company is now in talks with networks in the UK, US and Japan.
The much-loved creation of novelist, painter, illustrator and comic book artist Tove Jansson,
Moomin is one of Finland’s biggest cultural exports with the original books having been
translated into over 50 languages and the previous animation broadcast in 124 territories.
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For further information please contact Olivia Cox at Riot Communications on 020 3174 0118 / olivia@riotcommunications.com
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NOTES TO EDITORS
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About Gutsy Animations
Gutsy is a team of creators and producers who believe that the world is in need of funny, clever,
gutsy and – above all – meaningful content. All of its productions are aimed at international
audiences and based on a concept of genuine social impact.
About Moomin Characters
Oy Moomin Characters Ltd is the owner, originator and official company responsible for
supervising and managing the Moomins' brand, copyright and registrations. The company was
started in 1958 by Tove Jansson and her brother Lars Jansson and even today is run by family
members. Sophia Jansson, Lars' daughter and Tove's niece, is Chairman of the Board and
Creative Director at Moomin Characters. All characters from Moominvalley are registered
trademarks.
Moomin in the UK
Adventures in Moominland, an immersive, interactive exhibition which explores the Moomin
stories through the life of their author Tove Jansson, is on at Southbank Centre until 20 August
2017. Kew Gardens themed its Easter 2017 activity around the Moomins, with three weeks of
special trails, activities and a Moomin Easter egg hunt. In autumn 2017, Dulwich Picture Gallery
will present the first major UK exhibition of work by Tove Jansson – including not only Moomin
drawings but also Jansson’s surrealist-inspired paintings of the 1930s and abstract works of the
‘60s, her satirical anti-war cartoons and book jacket designs.
Moomin around the world
In June 2017 a new Moomin museum, three times the size of the current space, opens in
Tampere, Finland. In December 2017 a 12-month Moomin exhibition will begin touring major
cities in South Korea, and in 2018 a new Moomin theme park will open in Tokyo.
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